Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Anarchy Online's new game director details early 2012 plans]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/31/anarchy-onlines-new-game-director-details-early-2012-plans/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/31/anarchy-onlines-new-game-director-details-early-2012-plans/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/31/anarchy-onlines-new-game-director-details-early-2012-plans/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Screenshot -- Anarchy Online
We haven't heard a whole lot from Funcom's old-school sci-fi MMO Anarchy Online since mid-December when the game's producer bowed out. Today, however, the new game director, Fia "Lindelu" Tjernberg, stopped by the game's official forums to give players a bit of an update on what they can expect from the first months of the new year.

For starters, Tjernberg gives players a progress report on the game's upcoming shiny new graphics engine. She goes on to explain that "[Funcom's] artists have been preparing a couple of playfields to a standard that is very close to what we're aiming for," and adds that the first video of the new engine should hit sometime in February. Another large priority for the team for early 2012 is the new player experience, but perhaps most importantly of all is the "balancing act," as Tjernberg puts it, which (predictably) aims to bring the game's professions into balance "a little bit at a time."

For the full details on Anarchy Online's plans for the next couple of months, just click on through the link below.

MassivelyAnarchy Online's new game director details early 2012 plans originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>anarchyanarchy-onlineaobalancebalancingbalancing-actenginef2pfia-tjernbergfree-to-playfuncomgraphic-enginegraphics-enginelindelunew-player-experiencenew-playersupdateupdatesTue, 31 Jan 2012 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Secret World's Øystein Eftevaag gets technical]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/27/the-secret-worlds-ystein-eftevaag-gets-technical/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/27/the-secret-worlds-ystein-eftevaag-gets-technical/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/27/the-secret-worlds-ystein-eftevaag-gets-technical/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Screenshot -- The Secret World
When it comes to gameplay, we've heard about The Secret World inside and out. We know all about the Dragons, the Illuminati, and the Templars and the ongoing war against the encroaching darkness. But what about what's under the hood? The folks over at The Hydra Initiative decided to have a chat with Funcom's lead programmer, Øystein Eftevaag, about the Dreamworld Engine, which is shared between Age of Conan and TSW. Eftevaag notes that the TSW team benefits from sharing the engine with Age of Conan, saying, "The main benefit of this to The Secret World, is that the features being collaborated on (like, say, memory usage improvements, loading time improvements and the upcoming single-server technology) get the full development and testing resources of two whole projects focused on them."

So if you want to know all about The Secret World's engine and what makes the game tick, just click on over to The Hydra Initiative and have a look. If you're in search of more gameplay details, however, you're just going to have to sit back and wait. With the game's April launch fast approaching, we're sure Funcom has something planned.

MassivelyThe Secret World's Øystein Eftevaag gets technical originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Øystein-Eftevaagdreamworlddreamworld-engineeaelectronic-artsenginefuncomoystein-eftevaagtechnicaltechnical-detailsthe-secret-worldtswunder-the-hoodFri, 27 Jan 2012 17:30:00 EST<![CDATA[The Secret World's engine takes center stage]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/09/the-secret-worlds-engine-takes-center-stage/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/09/the-secret-worlds-engine-takes-center-stage/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/09/the-secret-worlds-engine-takes-center-stage/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Maybe this will work out okay. Maybe... maybe he just wants a friend.
Unified engines for MMOs have long been a rarity, simply due to the time needed to develop a game and the number of different companies developing separate products. The Secret World manages to buck this trend, using the same core Dreamworld Engine as Funcom's Age of Conan. A recent interview with lead programmer Øystein Eftevaag discusses the way that the engine interacts with the newer game, how the unified engine helps both games, and what special features the game is using in a technical sense.

Eftevaag explains that the Dreamworld Engine benefits chiefly from cross-pollination; improvements made in terms of optimization for Age of Conan can be imported to the engine on The Secret World with minimal extra legwork. The engine also uses a series of dynamic equations to determine what player characters should be able to see, subsequently leaving obscured areas blank to save on processor cycles. It's an interesting look under the hood at the technical side of Funcom's upcoming conspiracy and horror title, even if this particular dream world is tilted toward a nightmare.

MassivelyThe Secret World's engine takes center stage originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 09 Jan 2012 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conanaocØystein-Eftevaagcodingcore-enginedreamworld-engineenginefuncomgame-enginegame-featuresgraphical-featuresinterviewinterviewsoystein-eftevaagprogrammingthe-secret-worldtswMon, 09 Jan 2012 22:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Online shows off new Crucible engine trails]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/25/eve-online-shows-off-new-crucible-engine-trails/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/25/eve-online-shows-off-new-crucible-engine-trails/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/25/eve-online-shows-off-new-crucible-engine-trails/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

Engine trail image
Veteran EVE Online players will remember the joy of engine trails, a simple graphical effect that really added a feeling of speed to fast ships like interceptors or microwarpdrive cruisers. While the much-lauded Apocrypha expansion brought us countless new features, developers were forced to remove engine trails due to performance issues. We recently learned that engine trails will be making a comeback with the Crucible expansion, and in a new devblog today CCP Mankiller released details of the tricky work involved in getting the much-loved feature back into the game.

Mankiller explains that the old engine trail effect actually needed to have its vertex buffer updated every frame, making it a massive performance hog. The new trails use a much less costly approach that generates the geometry inside a vertex shader using splines. For those who fancy themselves mathematicians, CCP Mankiller provides the gruesome details of the equations that had to be constructed and solved to program the new shader. The new technique has additional advantages, like no longer skipping around when you're lagging and the possibility of new effects like heat shimmer, light absorption and refraction. The new engine trails go live with the Crucible expansion on November 29th.

MassivelyEVE Online shows off new Crucible engine trails originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 25 Nov 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccpccp-eveccp-gamescrucibleengineengine-trailseveeve-ccpeve-mmorpgeve-onlineexpansionnewstrailsFri, 25 Nov 2011 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Undead Labs brings Class3 to (un)life with CryENGINE 3]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/19/undead-labs-brings-class3-to-un-life-with-cryengine-3/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/19/undead-labs-brings-class3-to-un-life-with-cryengine-3/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/19/undead-labs-brings-class3-to-un-life-with-cryengine-3/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Following last week's dev diary featuring Undead Labs' art director Doug Williams and his talk on the "heart of horror," the most recent dev diary from the studio shifts in a more technical direction. In particular, executive producer Jeff Strain focuses on the game's engine. Even more particularly, he announces that the tentatively named Class3 will be running on the powerful CryENGINE 3.

Of course, the devs over at Undead Labs are quite familiar with the traditions of the internet and anticipate shouts of "pics or it didn't happen" with a lovely screenshot from an early version of the game. But wait, there's more! Call now and you'll receive not just a single screenshot, but an entire video! Just click past the break and check out an early version of Undead Labs' Class3 in action, then skip on over to the dev blog to read the full entry.

Continue reading Undead Labs brings Class3 to (un)life with CryENGINE 3

MassivelyUndead Labs brings Class3 to (un)life with CryENGINE 3 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 19 Aug 2011 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>class3consolecryenginecryengine-3cryengine3engineenginesjeff-strainundead-labsvideovideosxbox-360xbox-live-arcadezombiezombiesFri, 19 Aug 2011 18:30:00 EST<![CDATA[ArcheAge upgrading to CryEngine 3]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/30/archeage-upgrading-to-cryengine-3/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/30/archeage-upgrading-to-cryengine-3/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/30/archeage-upgrading-to-cryengine-3/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Development on XL Games' ArcheAge continues apace, and several fan sites are reporting that the fantasy sandbox MMORPG will be adding a spiffy new graphics engine to its lengthy list of features. Prior to this year's GDC, ArcheAge was being marketed as a CryEngine 2 title -- and was already somewhat renowned for its lush visuals and hyper-detailed environments.

Apparently XL and lead developer Jake Song saw room for improvement, though, since ArcheAge will be transitioning to CryEngine 3 according to a reputable South Korean gaming news website. There is also some fan speculation regarding when the new engine will see the light of day. ArcheAge will be kicking off its third Korean closed beta phase in April (still using CryEngine 2), with deployment on the newer technology coming later this year (and possibly coinciding with open beta).

Head past the cut for a CryEngine 3 demo video from this year's GDC (the ArcheAge footage begins at the two-minute mark).

Continue reading ArcheAge upgrading to CryEngine 3

MassivelyArcheAge upgrading to CryEngine 3 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>arche-agearcheageclosed-betacryengine-2cryengine-3enginefantasygraphicsjake-songkorean-betasandboxspeculationtrailervideoxlxl-gamesWed, 30 Mar 2011 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[THQ reveals the dark engine powering Warhammer 40K]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/27/thq-reveals-the-dark-engine-powering-warhammer-40k/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/27/thq-reveals-the-dark-engine-powering-warhammer-40k/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/27/thq-reveals-the-dark-engine-powering-warhammer-40k/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Hungry for information -- any information at all -- on Vigil Games' upcoming Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium Online? Did you watch the Imperium of Man trailer and gibber, "More! MORE!" So did we. Unfortunately, it was looking like we'd have to be content with hints...

...but fortunately, Games On Net cornered David Adams, Vigil Games' GM, and pumped him for further details. While Adams was reluctant to go into the specifics of gameplay, he did open up about WAR40K's engine, which is the same one the company used for Darksiders. The engine is being tweaked for the MMO, although Adams testified that it was already great with portraying a seamless world, which should be perfect for WAR40K's needs. DirectX 11 is also slated for inclusion.

So will the graphic requirements be low enough that the game could run on a toaster, or will it be a high-performance-only excursion? While Adams admits that the necessary graphic options will take a decent machine to run well, he's hoping to have as many visual toggles as possible so that WAR40K can reach a wider audience. He wouldn't say how many characters he expects the engine to handle in a certain area, other than to claim: "Big, it's 40K, it's all about big giant battlefields."

You can watch the full video over at Games On Net.

MassivelyTHQ reveals the dark engine powering Warhammer 40K originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>darksidersdavid-adamsDirectX-11Directx11enginegames-on-netimperium-of-maninterviewvideovigil-gameswar40kwar40k-dark-millenium-onlinewarhammerwarhammer-40000warhammer-40kwarhammer-40k-dark-millennium-onlinewarhammer40kFri, 27 Aug 2010 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Building MMO landscape scenes, part 2]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/23/building-mmo-landscape-scenes-part-2/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/23/building-mmo-landscape-scenes-part-2/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/23/building-mmo-landscape-scenes-part-2/#commentsContinue reading Building MMO landscape scenes, part 2

MassivelyBuilding MMO landscape scenes, part 2 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conanbillboardengineeverquest-2everquest-iigraphicsheightmaplakelandscapelightinglodlord-of-the-rings-onlineoceanplantsriversceneryscenictechnologyterrainterrain-renderingtexturestreeswaterworld-of-warcraftMon, 23 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Building MMO landscape scenes]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/23/building-mmo-landscape-scenes/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/23/building-mmo-landscape-scenes/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/23/building-mmo-landscape-scenes/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , ,


Landscapes have been a staple component of almost every MMO in recent memory. With the exception of some sci-fi titles, most MMOs take place on the land of some imagined island or continent. Some use stylised fantasy landscapes that run smoothly on even low-end computers while others have managed almost photo-realistic visuals at the cost of performance. But have you ever thought about what's going on behind the scenes in your favourite MMO? Most of us don't think about how the computer is actually drawing the terrain we run around on. We don't give much thought to the different ways each MMO renders the water in lakes, rivers and oceans. And just how does your computer render so many trees and plants without grinding to a halt? As part of my masters degree in computer science, I got to grips with a number of these techniques and found it a fascinating thing to learn about. Now when I play a new game or see MMO screenshots, I can't help but think about what the computer is doing in the background and how particular visual effects could have been achieved.

In this technical article, I talk about some of the components of an MMO landscape scene and a few of the techniques used in creating the graphics behind them.

Continue reading Building MMO landscape scenes

MassivelyBuilding MMO landscape scenes originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conanbillboardengineeverquest-2everquest-iigraphicsheightmaplakelandscapelightinglodlord-of-the-rings-onlineoceanplantsriversceneryscenictechnologyterrainterrain-renderingtexturestreeswaterworld-of-warcraftMon, 23 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[World of Warcraft's graphics engine to be upgraded incrementally]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/28/world-of-warcrafts-graphics-engine-to-be-upgraded-incrementally/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/28/world-of-warcrafts-graphics-engine-to-be-upgraded-incrementally/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/28/world-of-warcrafts-graphics-engine-to-be-upgraded-incrementally/#commentsFiled under: , ,


In the wake of a series of comments by Blizzard reps hinting at an eventual overhaul of World of Warcraft's graphics engine, Worldofwar.net contacted Lead Producer J. Allen Brack for clarification. Brack responded by describing specific changes to the engine that will be in the Wrath of the Lich King expansion, and then by making a pretty major revelation about the nature of the overhaul.

According to Brack, Blizzard will be making the changes bit-by-bit rather than all at once. "We're taking an iterative, organic approach to graphics upgrades," he said, "going feature by feature as opposed to thinking in terms of an overall new graphics engine."

As for the WotLK changes: those will include a new shadow engine, some new shaders for "even better looking terrain, as well as cool ice effects," and an increased view distance to make those expansive Northrend wastelands look, well ... expansive. He also noted that new water effects will be coming in "a future content update or expansion."

[Via WoW Insider]
One of Azeroth's millions of citizens? Check out our ongoing coverage of the World of Warcraft, and be sure to touch base with our sister site WoW Insider for all your Lich King needs!

MassivelyWorld of Warcraft's graphics engine to be upgraded incrementally originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 28 Aug 2008 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>blizzardbrackengineexpansionexpansionsgraphicsicej-allen-brackoverhaulshadersshadowsview-distancewaterworld-of-warcraftwowwrath-of-the-lich-kingThu, 28 Aug 2008 19:30:00 EST<![CDATA[38 Studios to use NaturalMotion's Morpheme engine]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/16/38-studios-to-use-natural-motions-morpheme-engine/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/16/38-studios-to-use-natural-motions-morpheme-engine/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/16/38-studios-to-use-natural-motions-morpheme-engine/#commentsFiled under: , ,

38 Studios, the star-studded development studio working on a mysterious MMO codenamed Copernicus, has announced that it will use an animation engine called Morpheme. Morpheme has also been used in EVE Online and Heavenly Sword. Its creator is a company called NaturalMotion, which also created the related and acclaimed Euphoria engine used in Grand Theft Auto IV and the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.

Jon Laff, 38 Studios' chief technology officer, was quoted in the press release saying, "Morpheme allows us to create very high-quality character animations quickly, cutting down on a lot of intensive animation design and implementation time." Uh, good! Wouldn't want you to pick middleware that slows you down instead!

So for those who are keeping track: Copernicus now uses BigWorld, Unreal Engine 3, and Morpheme. It's got the trifecta!

Massively38 Studios to use NaturalMotion's Morpheme engine originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 16 Jul 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>38-studiosanimationbigworldcopernicusengineeuphoriajon-laffmiddlewaremorphemenatural-motionnaturalmotiontechnologyunreal-engine-3Wed, 16 Jul 2008 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[NCsoft licenses texture software used in Xbox Live Arcade games]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/24/ncsoft-licenses-texture-software-used-in-xbox-live-arcade-games/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/24/ncsoft-licenses-texture-software-used-in-xbox-live-arcade-games/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/24/ncsoft-licenses-texture-software-used-in-xbox-live-arcade-games/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Allegorithmic, the creator of a procedural texture production tool called ProFX, announced that NCsoft has licensed its product. ProFX produces highly compressed textures that are "tiny, typically a few kilobytes" in size. Those textures are expanded and generated on the fly from that data by the system's processor as needed. That means file sizes are very small, but visual quality is maintained. The tech is therefore popular with companies developing games for the Xbox Live Arcade, the Xbox 360's digital download marketplace for bite-sized, casual gaming experiences.

NCsoft plans to use the technology in the future development of MMOs for PCs and the PlayStation 3 console. That choice might imply a comparatively small scope for those projects. ProFX is perfectly suited for games downloadable through the PlayStation Network store (Sony's answer to the Xbox Live Arcade), so this is another clue that NCsoft's PS3 games might be PSN releases instead of AAA Blu-ray titles.

It's by no means definitive though; NCsoft might have just been looking for a way to bring down patch sizes. So move along now!

MassivelyNCsoft licenses texture software used in Xbox Live Arcade games originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 24 Jun 2008 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>allegorithmicdevelopmentenginelicensencsoftplaystation-3playstation-networkprofxps3psnspeculationtechnologyxbox-liveTue, 24 Jun 2008 22:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Physics engine grounds Earthrise players]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/21/physics-engine-grounds-earthrise-players/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/21/physics-engine-grounds-earthrise-players/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/21/physics-engine-grounds-earthrise-players/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Being grounded in this case is a positive thing. Honest. Moll, the Community Manager for the sci-fi MMO Earthrise, typically fields a 'Question of the Week' over at the game's forums. This time, Moll answered a few related questions in one go, writing about the physics engine in Earthrise. Moll stressed that Masthead Studios wanted to balance client requirements with server load, while trying to build a realistic experience for Earthrise's players:

"The physics engine will run simultaneously on the client and on the server. The server will ensure that the physics results from the client are feasible and prevent cheating. We are using a 3rd party physics core, which can take advantage of hardware and GPU acceleration and also have some internally-coded subsystems." Sound will be tightly integrated with all physics effects in the game, adding another layer of realism. Best of all is the revelation about Earthrise's physics engine: it will feature ragdoll style effects.

Continue reading Physics engine grounds Earthrise players

MassivelyPhysics engine grounds Earthrise players originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 21 May 2008 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>audiocommunityearthriseenginegraphicsmasthead-studiosnpcphysicssci-fiWed, 21 May 2008 20:30:00 EST<![CDATA[WoW graphics engine to be overhauled someday]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/16/wow-graphics-engine-to-be-overhauled-someday/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/16/wow-graphics-engine-to-be-overhauled-someday/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/16/wow-graphics-engine-to-be-overhauled-someday/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

World of Warcraft producer J. Allen Brack and designers Jeff Kaplan and Tom Chilton were interviewed by Eurogamer today. Most of the interview dealt with Wrath of the Lich King content like the Death Knight, 10-person raids, and world PvP objectives. The most interesting bits of the interview were on the last page, though; the Blizzard reps talked about WoW's future.

According to Kaplan, a major graphics engine overhaul is "probably" part of that future. While he himself is not convinced it's necessary (he cited players' lukewarm reception of similar moves by the developers of Ultima Online and EverQuest), he said: "That's actually something we talk about every expansion ... and I'm positive we'll talk about it next expansion."

In the meantime, WotLK will allow "people with high-end machines some additional graphical effects." WoW Insider joked that future graphics engine updates might be dedicated entirely to producing even larger, more detailed shoulder pad armor. We wouldn't be surprised!

[Via WoW Insider]

MassivelyWoW graphics engine to be overhauled someday originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 May 2008 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>blizzardeffectsengineeurogamerexpansionfuturegraphicsinterviewj-allen-brackjeff-kaplanoverhaultom-chiltonupdateupgradeworld-of-warcraftwotlkwowwrath-of-the-lich-kingFri, 16 May 2008 17:30:00 EST<![CDATA[38 Studios using BigWorld to make its big world]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/27/38-studios-using-bigworld-to-make-its-big-world/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/27/38-studios-using-bigworld-to-make-its-big-world/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/27/38-studios-using-bigworld-to-make-its-big-world/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

What do you get when you get when you combine a major league baseball player (Curt Schilling), a famed fantasy author (R.A. Salvatore), and a great comic book guru (Todd McFarlane)? You get 38 Studios, and 38 Studios is working on a new MMO codenamed "Copernicus."

Now the studio has licensed the BigWorld engine for Copernicus. Since the game is at a very early stage of development, we know very little about it at this point, except that its prestigious managers are optimistic about its future. Reps from both 38 Studios and BigWorld made nondescript statements saying things like, "BigWorld provides the most proven, robust, and technically solid game engine available," and "we are thrilled to be working with such a professional and talented group of game developers." Good for them!

Brett Close described the rationale behind the choice in greater detail in an interview with Ten Ton Hammer. Excellent server-side tech and tools that will help the team get the game to market as fast as possible were the given reasons.

Massively38 Studios using BigWorld to make its big world originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 27 Feb 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>38-studiosbigworldbrett-closecopernicuscurt-schillingenginelicensenerfbatra-salvatoreryan-shwaydertodd-mcfarlaneWed, 27 Feb 2008 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Sierra making "mass-market" online game with BigWorld suite]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/06/sierra-making-mass-market-online-game-with-bigworld-suite/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/06/sierra-making-mass-market-online-game-with-bigworld-suite/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/06/sierra-making-mass-market-online-game-with-bigworld-suite/#commentsFiled under: , ,

It seems like every time we hear about a new title, the first thing we hear is an announcement about what engine or dev tools its developers will use. This time, Sierra has licensed the BigWorld Suite, parts of which are also used in Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment's Stargate Worlds and John Romero's forthcoming MMO project.

The announcement was made by BigWorld Technologies, not Sierra, and it didn't reveal much about the nature of the game, except that it it will be (according to Gamasutra) "targeting a mass-market audience." King's Quest Online? Probably not, but if only! If you want to know more about BigWorld, Ten Ton Hammer did a great interview with one of the guys behind it earlier this year.

Oh, and just so you know; Sierra is/was owned by Vivendi Games, and so is (like Blizzard) now part of the epic corporate monstrosity known as Activision Blizzard. All your studio are belong to us.

MassivelySierra making "mass-market" online game with BigWorld suite originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 06 Dec 2007 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bigworldbigworld-suitebigworld-technologiescheyenne-mountain-entertainmentdevelopmentenginegamasutrajohn-romerokings-questlicensesierrasierra-onlinestargate-worldstoolsThu, 06 Dec 2007 13:00:00 EST